Success for song, dance man

Te Awamutu College student Ian Vincent (16) picked up the Song and Dance Award at the National Performer of the Year contest in Tauranga over Labour Weekend.

Impressing judges from Australia and New Zealand, Ian picked up the Performing Arts Competitions Association of New Zealand (PACANZ) national title, sash, trophy and $600 cash.

In awarding the prize judges noted he had an harmonic voice and relaxed tap dancing style. They also felt he was a talented dancer and had a great deal of potential to develop his vocal skills further.

Ian has been dancing for 10 years and has been a regular competitor at the Te Awamutu Competitions, as well as other events around the country.

The title adds to his growing list of accomplishments.

Earlier this year he sat and passed six dance exams with excellence. Ian also won a major award at the Tauranga Performing Arts Competitions (collecting over $1200 in prizes and scholarships) and will compete for scholarships in Wellington this weekend, along with his younger sister Leeza (13).

Mother Tulouna says the pair are the only dancers to pick up nominations in three categories - jazz, tap and hip hop.

Ian was thrilled to win the national title and sends a special thanks to Rosetown Lions for valuable sponsorship, helping him
with tuition costs this year. His prizemoney collected at competitions has gone towards a car so that he can drive to his weekly lessons, classes he teaches in Te Awamutu and Otorohanga, and to other competitions.

While he enjoys passing his skill and knowledge onto younger dancers, he hasn’t yet decided on his future career path. He
will be returning to Te Awamutu College next year to compete his education before making a final decision.